Head coach Matt Campbell is in a tough spot with his Penn State football team as they enter Week 7 without a single conference win. The transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten has hit Campbell and his Iowa State transfers hard, and that has been clear throughout the first three games of interconference play.
In Week 6, Campbell's poor game management was on display and the Nittany Lions' defense let USC score on five-of-eight possessions excluding the last Trojans drive that ended the game. Penn State proved once more that one side of the ball looking better won't get the job done. Offense, defense, special teams, and the coaching staff have to complement each other.
Here's other recent news you may have missed in Happy Valley.
Matt Campbell provides injury updates on LB Alex Tatsch and WR Koby Howard
Penn State football enters Week 7 with a big game at Michigan. Though both teams fizzled out of the AP Top 25 Poll after poor starts in the Big Ten, it should still be an entertaining matchup. On the Nittany Lions' sideline, though, they will be without a couple players.
Wide receiver Koby Howard is still unavailable. He sustained a lower-body injury in Week 3 vs. Buffalo and has yet to play in an interconference contest since. Penn State is 0-3 in the Big Ten after losing to Wisconsin, Northwestern, and most recently USC. Howard's absence has certainly been felt on the offense, but the Nittany Lions must wait until after the Week 8 bye to get him back.
Joining the injury report is linebacker Alex Tatsch. Tatsch has been pretty limited in general throughout the first half of the season after he suffered an injury ahead of the Pinstripe Bowl. Having him back healthy and 100 percent would have been a huge help for a Penn State linebacker room that relies heavily on Tony Rojas. Tatsch, however, will not play another game in 2026, Campbell confirmed earlier this week.
Penn State hockey forward Keaton Peters sustains another season-ending injury
Men's hockey forward Keaton Peters will miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season due to a knee injury. He suffered a torn ACL, torn MCL, and medial and lateral meniscus injuries, according to his statement posted on Twitter/X.
This is Peters second season in a row he sustained a season-ending injury. In 2025-26, he recovered from ACL reconstructive surgery that kept him out for the year. His return lasted just one game, though. According to his statement, he had a knee-on-knee collision in his first shift of his first game back.
In 2024-25 as a freshman, Peters played in 35 contests and had six points on two goals and four assists. He had one game-winning goal and 31 blocks as well.
An update from Keaton Peters 💙#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/I7DfX2PVSF
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 13, 2026
Penn State volleyball prepares for big weekend on the road
The Nittany Lions head to the west coast this weekend with matches slated for Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17. They face two unranked teams, but both still received votes and look to get back into the Top 25. UCLA and USC received 22 and 16 votes, respectively, in the latest ranking that released Oct. 11.
Penn State comes off a big 3-0 sweep over Washington that bumped the team up to No. 15 on the AVCA Poll from No. 18. Wins over the Nittany Lions for both Big Ten squads are huge boosts for the Bruins and Trojans. For Penn State, though, coming out of the weekend on the road with two wins in a stacked Big Ten conference is an excellent way to head into the following weekend when it faces No. 11 Oregon.
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